The Latest: 2014

Lauren and her husband both have great opinions about home decor, which at first meant it was a bit of a journey finding their shared style. But after tackling their bedroom together and combining both their ideas and tastes, it’s a fun, personal space that’s proof sometimes two styles are better than one! From Lauren: For four and a half years we’ve slept on a boxspring and mattress without a bed frame.

Sarah had been knee-deep in a pile of plywood scraps while tackling a year-long kitchen renovation. There were scraps that were too big to toss, but too small and damaged to make anything of use. Except that Sarah totally came up with a creative way to use them. And a gallon of wood glue was involved!

Danielle fell in love with the dark wood details and trim throughout this 1927 Dutch Colonial house when she moved in last summer. Though the wood is gorgeous, Danielle felt she needed to work to brighten the space to create the warm and welcoming look she was going for. But she was on a budget! She freecycled major furniture pieces, tackled lots of how-to projects and mixed IKEA textiles with vintage pieces to create a palette of soft colors and treasured finds.

Bianca, an artist, was on the hunt for a slim and small storage piece to stash her art supplies in style. She was about to head over to IKEA to plunk down some cash on a new purchase, when at the last minute she decided to take a peek at her favorite junk shop. She was in luck! From Bianca: I was searching for a slim sideboard to fit some of my art supplies, such as large canvases and rolled prints.

You never forget your first, especially on Valentine’s Day. This sweet little chair was Katherine’s first ever upholstery project, but as the years went by and her design tastes changed, she fell out of love with the shape of this chair. Luckily, Katherine really knows how to spice up a stale relationship. Her eye had wandered over to a new kind of chair, Anthropologie’s Astrid, but she didn’t exactly have the funds to make it hers.

Kasey lives on the island of Kauai and tells us that finding non “island” furniture is hard to do. She’s always on the hunt for statement pieces to decorate her beach-style home so when she found this dresser at the local thrift store for $50, she snapped it up. We just love how Kasey completely changed the look of the piece by removing the doors and giving the interior a beautiful coat of oceany turquoise. The white exterior really highlights the scallop details.

When Maggie found this great mid-century desk at the thrift store it was feeling a little blue, but for only $14, she took it home anyway and got right to work. Because of the previous owner’s sloppy, drippy paint job, Maggie decided to strip off the color completely and give this piece a true makeunder. Maggie tells us that, “with new handles and a mix of stained wood and white paint, I have an amazing desk with vintage charm that looks brand new!

Julia’d had a mid-century modern dresser on her wishlist for quite a while, so when she found this beautiful but somewhat beat up piece, she knew it was a prime candidate for a makeover. In order to hide imperfections on the body, Julia used white spray paint, leaving certain wood trim exposed to add dimension. Once polished, that dirty hardware turned out to be gleamy brass, and she added bright pop by painting the inside of the drawer pulls a kicky, neon pink.

For anyone who’s ever had a clear idea of what sort of style they wanted their space to look like, failed miserably, and thought they’d have to live with their failures forever, this before and after is proof that even big design missteps can be remedied. The designer who stepped in to refresh this space provides an easy-to-follow, step-by-step guide to how they got this design back on track.

Erin found this 1960s era bar cart on Craigslist and had an inkling it could be restored not only to its former glory, but beyond! Simple, subtle yet charming, the shape of this car reminded Erin of her grandparents’ house and all the cocktail parties they used to throw. From Erin: As most things go, this was a bigger project then originally anticipated as I had to sand and use a lot of steel wool to rid it of rust.

Krista and her husband bid and lost out on five homes before they finally purchased this one. With a kitchen that had “grandma wallpaper,” sad tile floor, and odd painted aluminum cabinetry, this couple kept their spirits up after purchasing by daydreaming about a remodel. But, they’d have to do it on a tight budget. The changes to this kitchen were simple, but the outcome quite a step up from the older, dated space.

Ellen was looking to recreate a clothing store feel in her dressing room, and already had a large kitchen pedestal table in the space. When she came across this “ugly” 80s table at a Savers thrift store for $7.50, she knew she’d be able to use it along with her existing table to create a neat cluster effect. From Ellen: I decided to paint both tables a dark gray top with a taupe/brown base as I had seen something on Pinterest and was inspired to recreate that color combination.

A friend of Luann’s recently asked if she could “do anything” with his Grandma’s old bedroom set. He needed to fill an empty guest room and nobody else in the family wanted this old set. Bet they’re all kicking themselves now. Wow! What a difference. She stripped off the old lacquered finish and discovered that the solid wood underneath was beautiful! Surprise!

In NYC apartments, every inch counts, so when Angela and her roommates found their Lower East Side 3-bedroom’s tiny common area dominated by a hulking dining table, they knew there was better way. With a coat of paint and a few carefully-chosen pieces of budget furniture, these ladies were able to create a comfortable space that takes advantage of every inch. It looks so much bigger and brighter!

Today we have an envy-inducing makeover you have to see to believe. Jim bought a pair of mid-century bedside tables at a flea market for $50 each. The tables were heavy and obviously well-constructed so he had an inkling that they were quality pieces worth some love. How right he was! The seller thought they were a walnut laminate but after stripping off the old paint, Jim discovered that they were actually walnut veneer and the drawer fronts were 1″ thick solid walnut. Surprise!

I have to admit it—this area of my home has always been a problem for me. I’ve reworked it, redesigned it, added shelves, painted walls— pretty much everything you can think of— in order to make it liveable without removing that dreaded desk. Each redesign, I was happy with the area for roughly three days, until I realized that I still hated the desk and I still didn’t understand why the previous owner of our condo would glue and screw a desk to the wall.

Tasha tells us that she still cringes when she looks back at these photos of her room. The army green walls, the beige trim, badly sealed stone fireplace and carpet just weren’t her cup of tea. Says Tasha, “No thank you.” Tasha and her husband did the all of the work themselves. They ripped out the carpet and bamboo flooring and put down dark laminate floors, then painted the walls a beautiful dark blue to make this large space feel more cozy.

Lynn and her husband, an energetic couple in their early 60s – 70s, had a dream to “age in place,” and planned to do so in a 27-year-old condo they purchased in its original, uninspiring state: vinyl flooring, wall-to-wall carpeting, almond-colored appliances, Formica countertops and more. They gave every inch of this condo a face-lift, and this cute corner of the kitchen is a taste of their simple but effective updating style.

When Griffin found this old shelf just “collecting dust” at a local thrift store, she knew there was some place in their home for it, perhaps the garage or maybe the playroom. But it was some creative thinking (and not even that much work!) that transformed it into a surprisingly sophisticated storage piece for a dining room! From Griffin: With the help of my husband we started by removing the base which was made up of 2x4s.